Fuel/oil Storage

[RLStroope]

I just put in an non-insulated metal building over a gravel floor to keep my tractor and other equipment. I live in central Texas where we will only hit the freeze mark two or three times during the winter and the temperature can fluctuate between the high 30's to the 70's on a given day. I was planning to keep my oil and fuel containers in the building with the equipment. Has anyone had problems with condensation or other issues when keeping fuel or oil containers in this type of environment?

Thanks,
Richard

 

[Diamondpilot]

No problems for me. Here in Indiana i can see -30 to 100 plus degrees.

Chris

 

[Ken45101]

What fuel are you talking about? What kind of tank? How long?

Pure diesel (not bio diesel or a mix) should be perfectly fine in a plastic container. I have a goldenrod filter on my 200 gallon plastic tank and the filter has never needed to be changed. (6" off of a dirt floor in an open barn).

OTOH, I suspect that metal tanks are more likely to have condensation and moisture encourages algae growth, especially with bio diesel. But I think that's more of a summer issue than winter.

Of course, many, many farms have metal tanks sitting outside. They obviously survive.

Ken

 

[cowpie1]

I have an old garage sitting between the house and the pole barn that I use for storing my compact and fuel/oil. Central Iowa, similar to Indiana, like Chris. I have never had issues with fuel. I go thru a considerable amount of gas for smaller stuff, so I usually fill an used 30 gallon oil drum with gas and have a hand pump on it. I have never had any issues, even the times that it got filled with E10. I have stored diesel, including up to 10% bio, in 55 gallon used oil drums in there, and never had any issues. Same thing, but had a 12v pump on those drums. The building has a roof window I can open slightly and basically vent the building in hot weather.

Cliff

 

[BarnieTrk]

My :2cents:, Richard:

I don't believe you'll have much condensation, if any, if your stored fuel is allowed to warm/cool SLOWLY - it shouldn't cause the moisture/humidity to condensate out of the air within the container and contaminate your fuel. By storing your fuel storage can/drum/tank inside under a roof will keep the Sun from warming the fuels excessively and will also prevent it from cooling off quickly in the evening under a clear star-lit night. Even a tarp will be better than nothing in shielding the storage vessel from extremes in temperature change. Central TX isn't a high humidity area...so if you store your fuels out of direct sunlight, I'd bet you'll be fine regarding moisture contamination. I used to live in Houston; now that is a high humidity area!

Here is another way to look at it: Consider when it's been cold for a week or so and then there is a sudden increase in the outdoor temperature. If you open your barn or garage door, the cool metal & concrete inside will begin to sweat. This is the caused by the moisture in the incoming warmer air to condensate onto the cooler metal & concrete. However, if you keep your doors closed, and let the garage warm up slowly, the stuff inside will not draw condensation from the warmer air. Obviously, if you keep your storage can/drum/tank full you reduce the amount of air inside the vessel and thus the potential for moisture-ladened air from being inside.

However, the above discussion only is addressing moisture contamination via condensation from the surrounding air. You will still have other issues going on - namely, the lighter hydrocarbon ingredients will slowly evaporate out and leave your fuel with a disproportionate amount of heavy hydrocarbons...in other words, the mixture that makes up your diesel fuel will be off. This can be made obvious by simply splashing a few ounces of diesel fuel into an empty coffee-sized can and leave it sit on the shelf for a day, week, month, few months. You'll notice how the odor of the stored fuel will gradually change. This is because some of the more volatile ingredients will evaporate away, leaving only the heavy ingredients to produce the remaining odor. We've all heard of fuel "turning to varnish" after some time...... that is what is the result of the long time storage......

Bottomline: Unless you can keep them in a container without any venting provisions - keeping moisture-containing air out and keeping the light hydrocarbons from leaving - I would recommend you store diesel or gasoline fuels no longer than 6 weeks. Realize though, if heated enough, pressure will be produced within a non-vented container, so keep the container relatively cool....less than 80*F, to keep from producing excessive container pressure. You can easily check the temperature of your fuel storage vessel with a temperature gun. Like this one: Sears.com I wouldn't worry as much about your oils & gear lubes, as they are a much heavier fluid with small amounts of light hydrocarbons. Most drums/pails/jugs of oils & lubes do not need to be vented (if kept cool) and thus will not become contaminated or loose ingredients over a few months time.

BarnieTrk :steeringwheel:

P.S.
Richard, you do run coolant and not straight water, correct?
I knew of a few folks in Houston that ran straight water; with the claim that, "It doesn't get cold enough for me to worry about freezing" - an opinion which I did not / do not agree with.

 

[BarnieTrk]

Cliff,
How often do you refill your 30-gallon gasoline storage drum?
How often do you refill your diesel storage container?
Do you run them containers out dry before you get them refilled?
Do you use an inline filter or screened funnel between the fuel transfer pump and the target fuel tank?

I don't use THAT much fuel, so I only have 5-gallon can storage for my gasoline and diesel fuel. I try to use them up within two months.....

BarnieTrk

 

[oosik]

I store my diesel in 5-gallon jerry cans in an unheated building. They are up off the ground on a pallet and I've never had a condensation problem in 32+ years. My neighbor to the south - a big time rancher - stores his diesel in a 2000 gal tank outside. He drains any water, gunk, goo out the backside of the tilted tank and told me he never gets more than two cups of water when he does this annually. His setup has a pump and dual filters on the output side.

I mention his setup because annually I take my tractor over to his place and clean up/grade/relevel his winter holding/feeding yard. The "material" is brought back to my place and used in my garden. As compensation - I fill up from his storage tank. All his tractors are monsters and not setup to handle this task.

 

[BarnieTrk]

I store my diesel in 5-gallon jerry cans in an unheated building. They are up off the ground on a pallet and I've never had a condensation problem in 32+ years. My neighbor to the south - a big time rancher - stores his diesel in a 2000 gal tank outside. He drains any water, gunk, goo out the backside of the tilted tank and told me he never gets more than two cups of water when he does this annually. His setup has a pump and dual filters on the output side.

I mention his setup because annually I take my tractor over to his place and clean up/grade/relevel his winter holding/feeding yard. The "material" is brought back to my place and used in my garden. As compensation - I fill up from his storage tank. All his tractors are monsters and not setup to handle this task.

How many weeks is there between your 5-gallon refill times? Likely you don't store it long enough to generate problems.......

Your description of your neighbor's storage tank is ideal. Many owners don't tilt their tank to the back with a rear drain. I've seen more tanks tilted FORWARD; where the transfer hose is located, allowing any condensation or sludge buildup to flow out the transfer hose - if they don't have an inline filter - or they simply change filters more often. I like the idea of having a rear tilted tank, because - as your neighbor does - you can periodically/annually drain off a quart or so of "bottom settlings" without it clogging up the inline filter. Then with the quart of bottom settlings I'd use it somewhere - to smear/drizzle on a wooden wagon bed to weatherize it, to drizzle on my pail containing my chains preventing rust, etc.

BarnieTrk :cool2: